Eight Tips to Get You Going in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon's Dogma 2 has been out for a bit now, but each session seems to bring a new hard lesson learned or a new trick to add to the arsenal, be it how to balance your team, which items to bring, and general hints I wish I knew when I started. As such, I decided to compile some of the most salient points I encountered during my adventures. Though there are many more to note, these can at least help you get started! And if you haven't checked out the review, you can find it here!

1. Mark Down Where You Found Your First Seeker’s Token

That is a very big haystack to parse
OK, so this one is a hard one to explain, especially without spoiling, so bear with me. As you explore the land of Vermund and Battahl, you may encounter these small discs, called Seeker’s Tokens, hidden throughout the land. By themselves, they are a fun reward for exploration and can be traded in at Vocation Guilds for prizes. You’ll find quite a few of these during your quest, so remembering where you found any of them, not to even mention a specific one, can be quite hard. I can’t say why, but believe me when I say: mark down the first one you find! It may not come up, but if you wind up needing this info, you’ll be happy you did. Trust me.

2. Plan for Each Trip

A good rest can do wonders!

OK, back to some more general tips! Dragon’s Dogma 2, much like its predecessor, puts a lot of emphasis on exploration and a feeling of distance. As such, doing something as simple as walking to a nearby town can be a harrowing journey by itself that may take an in-game day if not more! As such, it is important to really think about what you’re doing and what you may need.

Your encumbrance level is a big deal here: a heavy load can do wonders to keep you from flying into the stratosphere from an ogre’s slap, but it will also make your movement sluggish at best and your poor stamina will drain faster than our wallets during a Steam sale. On the other side, a light load will allow you to zip around the battlefield, avoiding damage and dealing it in turn! However, get hit and only the powers above can guess where you’ll end up. Deciding what items are essential: what can be left behind, and what kind of Vocation and team composition you’re working with are key questions that can help you get the right gear for the right occasion. That, or play a warrior, stock yourself up to Very Heavy and be the unmovable mountain you were meant to be!

Remember to keep an eye out for treasures!

In addition to encumbrance, remember to plan for the different encounters you may find along the way: healing items are always welcome, as well as debility-removing potions that can get rid of that pesky poison state. You can also plan to gather some of these useful resources along the way! Put some combination items in your pack that are hard to find and craft that poultice once you find the missing herbs. Oh, and REMEMBER YOUR CAMPING SET. Trust me, not being able to take a well-needed nap en route between continents is not fun.

3. Cycle Pawns Often

I always forget you can hire her as well, if you like...

This is one I struggle with quite often, as I grow attached to the Pawns I keep around. I get used to the skills they have, how they fight, and their general behaviour. However, aside from your Main Pawn, the recruited Pawns that join you do not gain levels with you, meaning they may be left behind quite quickly! By switching them up every now and again, you can make sure your team is always up to snuff, with up-to-date abilities, stats, and equipment. Additionally, your new teammates may have some information the previous members did not, which may help you continue on that quest you were stuck on. You can also mix and match your team to see which combination of Vocations is to your tastes.

But writer, I hear you cry out, what if I really like all my Pawns and don’t want to give them up, or they are my friend’s pawns?! Well, I have some good news on this front as well. If you’d rather just keep the same party for each adventure, you should still consider letting them go home every now and again. By dismissing a Pawn, they will update with the newest available version of their build, meaning higher levels, new skills, and possibly even an advanced or different Vocation! By setting a Pawn as a favourite, it’s easy to resummon them later, so worry not if you decide to try out some new help. Oh, and remember to give your recruits some nice gifts if you like them!

4. Explore

Exploration can be seen as the biggest feature of Dragon’s Dogma 2: just having a bit of a look around beyond the main roads may net you interesting encounters with massive monsters, treasures and loot, caves and caverns to explore, or even exciting quests! I know it’s not for everyone and some gamers would rather just go from A to B, but I do recommend allocating some time to just going where the winds blow and allowing yourself to explore.

If nothing else, the views are fantastic!

If you find going out without a goal boring or disagreeable, something I do is explore while en route to a quest! Since most missions have you investigating a faraway location, travelling to a town, or going to whack a big monster in the middle of nowhere, you have a clear motivator to go in a certain direction. Instead of going down the same way you always do, why not take a detour through that thick forest, that weird mountain range, or that all-encompassing fog? Sure, you may be caught up in all kinds of distractions along the way, but you never know; you may end up making some organic moments or memorable discoveries along the way!

5. Listen

This title is a very visual experience: giant monsters roam the land, beautiful vistas temp you to climb ever higher, and the hordes of enemies along the way make sure there are very few dull moments. However, something Dragon’s Dogma 2 does well is incorporating audio into their world. The best example of this is your Pawns and their chatter: though it may be less useful in the moment-to-moment gameplay, these AI allies can be surprisingly insightful.

Fair warning, they like to gossip

Ranging from hints and tips for quests to commenting on the weaknesses of enemies, the Pawns do indeed have a lot to say. Pay attention, however, and you may notice a few lines that are worth noting! For example, if there is a Seeker’s Token nearby, your teammates may comment on something “glinting in the sunlight”. In a similar vein, they may comment on nearby treasure chests, caves, Rift Stones, or even points of interest they know of. That and you can listen to how another Arisen really likes having Beastren buddies.

In addition to Pawn prattle, the game does try to give important NPCs a voice that draws you to them. Hear a townsperson say a distinct line multiple times? That may lead you down a new quest. Hear about a cavern filled with bandits? You may find yourself a hideout with both enemies and loot galore! If you aren’t sold yet, interacting with townspeople, listening in and being observant can lead you to quest chains which open up very useful or significant features, such as being able to purchase a dwelling of your very own!

6. Enhance With Care

Enhancing your weapons and armour may seem like a very natural thing to do: monsters grow in power quite quickly the further from civilisation you explore, making a boost to attack or defence quite tempting, especially since you need to use those Goblin teeth for something, right? Well, yes but no. You see, each weapon has a limited amount of slots for upgrades, and not all smiths are the same!

Some of the armour options may leave you a bit... chilly, though

Yes, each smith that has the ability to upgrade your weapons follows one of four smithing styles, which will improve your weapon in different ways: the Vermundian style, the first available option, follows the principle of moderation. An enhancement with this style doesn’t play favourites, improving all attributes of your equipment moderately. The Elven style, however, is focused on the Magickal nature of the world, sharply increasing Magick or Magic Def depending on the item, but does little for physical stats. As an opposite to the Elven style, the Battahli style increases both Strength and Defence, without touching the Magickal aspects of your gear. The final style, Dwarven, is unique in the bunch, as it focuses only on one attribute: making things flinch and avoiding flinching yourself.

Having only three slots to fill with these styles, it is important to consider which attribute you find most important: for example, a Warrior may find the boost to Strength and causing flinching useful, while benefiting little from any Magick boosts. Once enhanced, the slot is filled with no chance to remove it, so take your time and consider! However, there is one last level to unlock in enhancement: Wyrmfire smithing.

Having top-tier gear with the perfect set of enchantments can make a big difference!

Unlocked late into the game, this unique style of smithing does not use the normal resources of monster parts and money, but instead requires the rare Wyrmfire crystals gained by wounding a dragon. This rare and powerful enhancement has its own slot and does not count toward the three available. A Wyrmfire forged item has half the usual weight and greatly increased efficacy, making it worth facing a few fire-breathers!

7. Think Outside The Box

This one is a bit harder to convey, but Dragon’s Dogma 2 can be a bit sly about how to complete its multiple quests. In most cases, you will receive a quest marker in your log, explaining what needs to be done and often showing the location you need to go to. Sometimes, you’re given an esoteric hint and expect to figure it out! Now, your Pawns can give you useful information which is smart to heed, but there are situations where you need to choose how to progress.

Yes, please. All of these cliffs look the same!

For example, there is a mission wherein you are required to talk to a man imprisoned in the local gaol. You could just walk down to the cells found in the quest location, but you may notice the local guards may not appreciate some raggedy adventurer looting their nice little jail! Sure, you could go in, sword swinging, but killing innocent guards just doing their jobs may go against the whole “hero of the land” thing. Instead of following the quest to the letter, you have other options available! Look around and find an alternate way into the location, can intentionally get caught to stage an epic breakout, or even disguise yourself as a noble or guard! Before you complete any quest, think about other possible solutions. Can more be done, is there something to this quest I’m missing, or can I find an NPC with some information? If nothing else, there is always one sure-fire technique you can try.

8. When in Doubt, Hug

I’m not kidding. You’d be surprised how many quests require you to grab an NPC into a loving and inescapable embrace! Since the game does not have a way to defeat foes nonlethally, save for killing them and bringing them back with a Wakestone, tackling an NPC can be seen as the closest alternative. Since this is not an “attack”, you aren’t usually attacked straight up, so giving it a go is more-or-less safe. Don’t try hugging the Queen or guards, though, they may not take it the intended way. If you find yourself unsure how to progress, find an NPC acting oddly, or just want to move someone to safety? Throw them over your shoulder! As a final fun fact, if you use a Ferrystone while carrying an NPC, they will join you on the trip! I wonder if it's a popular prank?

Come on, Mr. King! One quick hug, I promise!

And there you have it! As I stated, there is a cornucopia of hints, tricks, strategies, and guides out there, with many more being created as we learn more about the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2, and I do not pretend to be an expert. However, with these eight entries, you may be able to avoid some of the holes I wound up digging for me, not to mention being constantly over-encumbered! Do you have a tip or hint to share, or do you think I missed something vital? Let us know in the comments!